Interlift 2019: VFA Forum with the Focus on Digitalization

Exhibition Centre Augsburg: From 15 – 18 October Interlift 2019 presents the world market innovations / With 580 exhibitors from 44 countries and 46,500 square metres exhibition space the world’s leading trade fair sets up new records / Interlift VFA Forum with the focus on digitalization.

Augsburg – With 580 lift companies the previous record (573) will be marginally broken; the exhibition space is increased comparatively significantly by 2,500 to a total of 46,500 square metres. The Interlift 2019 is thus the largest one to date. 71 per cent of the lift companies represented are from abroad; a total of 44 countries are represented in Augsburg. The range of innovations will also increase again in comparison to 2017. There just remains a plus for visitors:

20,440 were registered two years ago and a slight increase here would be no surprise either.

The world market at a glance: Exhibitors from 44 countries in Augsburg.

With 44 participating nations, the Interlift underlines its status as the world’s most international platform of the branch. In 2019, too, it offers the best overview of the world market’s offers. In this way it is the most important trade fair date of the year not only for company top decision makers but for all who work in lift construction.

Italy traditionally heads the participation from abroad. With currently 94 exhibitors, the great lift nation is way ahead of China (65), Turkey, which with 60 participants has been able to show the greatest increase since 2017, and Spain (41). The 5th – 10th places are taken by France (17), Greece (12), Sweden (11), Great Britain (9) and the USA (7).

If the occupied area is considered, the order looks somewhat different. Following Germany and Italy, Spain pushes itself clearly into third place just ahead of Turkey. The fifth place is taken by China ahead of Greece, Sweden, France, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.

Platform for the global players of the lift branch.

The presence of decision makers from all over the world is a very significant reason for exhibitors to participate in this the branch’s most important platform.

Augsburg offers globally active companies the best opportunity, in addition to customer care, of making new business contacts. Particularly smaller companies and first-time trade fair participants rely on joint participations which make their trade fair appearance considerably easier. In 2019, too, there are a number of new joint participations, for example the ANICA and Anacam Italian associations. Several group booths with Chinese companies are again also present and for the first time also a joint booth from Korea. Another new booth is that of the association of Turkish machine manufacturers.

Innovations make a visit to the trade fair an obligation.

Lightweight construction technology has arrived in lift construction. For the first time exhibitors are displaying lift components on the basis of fibre reinforced composites (carbon). The theme of “Lighter through the use of plastics” is also on the agenda. With gears, the triumph of “gearless” has not yet come to an end. A rounding off “downwards” and “upwards” in loading capacity and speed is additionally displacing the geared solutions. On the currently well-utilized market there is increasing resonance with the theme of “Design”. Tableaus and cabins with extravagant fittings and of unusual materials are being offered. The spectrum of products for mobility or accessibility (home lifts, lifting platforms) is also becoming broader; the sector also stands out with innovative product ideas.

The emergency call management is experiencing constant expansion of competencies and interface developments, and is rapidly moving in the direction of a tool for lift digitalization. 3D and “BIM” software solutions play an increasing role in lift planning.

The lift as an advertising platform is given a great deal of attention in 2019. Permanent acoustic exposure to advertisements has thus reached the lift and is praised on the one hand as a “money source” for the operator and on the other hand as “entertainment” for the user whilst travelling with the lift.

Interlift VFA Forum ´19: Digitalization, new markets and more.

The visitor figures clearly prove the continuing increased interest in the information platform, where experts examine current topics from the world of lifts in compact 20 minute lectures. In 2017 more than 10% of the trade fair visitors made use of the opportunity of gaining information about international developments of the branch. At the Interlift ’19 the lecturers can once more reckon with more than 2,000 forum visitors. Approximately 50 lectures on various international topics will be offered in the forum. The focus in 2019 is on the subject of digitalization and in this reflects the current worldwide change in the branch. In addition to this, the current most interesting lift markets will be looked at. Within a very short time trade fair visitors can gain a well-founded, compact overview of the latest developments in European and international guidelines as well as of product innovations in everything to do with lifts. Further important ongoing themes apart from the complex of norms and guidelines are modernization as well as the theme of the recruitment of skilled employees associated with the activities of basic and further training, which is becoming increasingly significant in Germany and Europe. A visit to the forum is free of charge for all trade fair visitors; the lectures will be interpreted simultaneously from German to English or English to German. (Programme: www.interlift.de)

Shuttle buses & Co: Strong focus on a first class service.

The service for exhibitors is of primary importance to the AFAG, the Interlift organizer. Thus guests arriving by car are brought in a few minutes from the WWK Arena visitors’ car park to the exhibition centre in Augsburg by a free shuttle bus.

A shuttle bus also runs from the airport in Munich. Here the bus runs from Terminal 2 (Arrivals E03), bus stop 24, directly to the Exhibition Centre in Augsburg. There is a new shuttle bus line from the Munich ZOB central bus station (near the main train station in Munich) to the Interlift.

A free shuttle bus also runs from the main station in Augsburg (departs from the Intercity Hotel) to the Exhibition Centre (Timetables: www.interlift.de).

The relocation of the entrance area to between halls 1 and 7 (Eingang Ost – Eastern Entrance) has also proved successful. Together with the second entrance (Süd-South) and the digital admission system, trouble-free access is ensured even during the time of heavy visitor numbers in the mornings. In 2019 exhibitors can go to their booths from 7 h; this innovation will certainly ease the situation in the mornings even more, Exhibitors’ evening “Lift Experts’ Night” in the new VIP area of the WWK Arena.

In 2017 the exhibitors’ evening was held for the first time in the Business Area of the nearby WWK Arena. In 2019 the 700 expected guests of the Lift Experts’ Night will also find a completed, significantly enlarged and exclusively fitted VIP area – the perfect setting for this evening. The shuttle bus service is of course also available for the guests of this festive evening. Tickets for the Lift Experts’ Night (Euro 35.00 incl. VAT) are available from the exhibition management.

For easy trade fair preparation: www.interlift.de

Good preparation for a visit to the Interlift begins on the Interlift’s homepage (www.interlift.de). It offers all available information from the exhibitor list to trade fair innovations and travel tips and timetables.